Category: Film

Reel 27: Gangsters Fighting Nazis

Gather ’round while I tell a story.

Once upon a time, there was a time when it was universally agreed that Nazis were Bad People. As the late Norm Macdonald said, “You know, with Hitler, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don’t care for him.”

Those were the days, weren’t they!

Anyway, Nazism was so unpopular in the 1940s that even the organized crime syndicates fought actively to discourage their popularity here in the United States. Meyer Lansky and the Jewish mob were among the first, but it was a nationwide phenomenon that even caught the attention of Hollywood. Then the Hays Code came along and reminded everyone that traditional villains (e.g. mobsters) weren’t allowed to appear to be heroes.

But at least one film sneaked by, in 1942. All Through the Night, starring Humphrey Bogart and a huge stable of character actors, follows one shady character as he checks out the death of a local baker, which leads to a huge Nazi infiltration plot.

Several years later, in 1991 we have The Rocketeer, a live-action Disney film directed by Joe Johnston and starring Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly, and another stable of character actors. It’s based on the 1982 graphic novel by Dave Stevens. This film also deals with someone inadvertenly getting mixed up in a Nazi plot. This time they’re doing it to steal technology that could turn the tide of the war.

Both films are quite suspenseful and a lot of fun, with several comic turns that don’t take away from the main plotline.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Our next episode will be dropping shortly before Christmas, so what better time to break out a couple of Christmas miracles? We’ll be checking out 1944’s Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, a film with a decidedly controversial topic attached to it, and 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street. Join us, won’t you? 

Reel 25: 1970s Conspiracy Thrillers

It’s possible—perhaps even likely—that the whole Conspiracy Theory crowd was born from the Warren Commission’s report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which happened on November 22, 1963.

What’s certain is that these theories about JFK’s death certainly bled over into Hollywood. And as a result, films in the 1970s started to spring up that suggested that government plots were everywhere. Maybe not all of them put things in the hands of the government. Some of them suggested that corporations were to blame. Maybe even corporate collectives were pulling all the strings (think about 1975’s Rollerball or 1976’s Network).

In this episode we look at a pair of films that deal with a thinly-veiled version of JFK’s assassination. First we have The Parallax View (1974), directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Warren Beatty. Beatty is an investigative reporter who looks deeply into the death of a popular politician—perhaps more so than certain people would like. After that, there’s Winter Kills, from 1979 or so (go listen to the episode and you’ll find out what we mean). This film, starring Jeff Bridges and written/directed by William Richert, is an interesting look at the corrupting nature of power.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

Next time around we’re taking a look at a pair of foreign films that are set during unnamed wars: First up is Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend (1967), followed by Ingmar Bergman’s Shame (1968). Be warned that Weekend has some disturbing images and themes. 

Reel 21: Ex-Spies

While this is a truly overstuffed episode, it’s worth it just to hear Sean connect all the dots with regard to various people’s Hollywood careers and how they relate to one another.

In today’s episode we look at the lives of spies after they’re done being government employees. Our first film is 1998’s Ronin, directed by John Frankenheimer. In this one, Robert DeNiro is a freelancing former U.S. Intelligence Agent who tries to track down a mysterious package wanted by the Irish and the Russians. He’s got help from the likes of Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, and a few others, but there are all kinds of machinations and double-crosses going on.

Not to be outdone is Duplicity, from 2009, written and directed by Tony Gilroy. This film stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as the former government spies, now working in the land of corporate espionage. And once again, nobody is who they seem to be. It’s a little confusing at first but it’s a genuine romp.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

In our next episode we move away from the big cities to check out a couple of films set in relatively small towns. First we look at 1993’s Dazed and Confused, directed by Richard Linklater. It’s got more going for it than being the source of most peoples’ impression of Matthew McConnaghey. Then we head to the Florida Panhandle to see Ashley Judd in her first starring role, in Ruby in Paradise, also from 1993 and written/directed by Victor Nunez. 

Short Subject: an outtake from Reel 14

Hi there:

This is an outtake from our past episode that I (Claude) had to cut because the episode was running so long. But it was just amusing enough that I thought you’d find it fun. The only sad part is that you don’t get to see Sean’s face, looking for a way to respond to my weird little rant before he finally finds his answer. 

Stuff like this is why I think I may have adult ADHD, because he puts up with stuff like this more often than anyone should have to, without getting paid for it. 

Corrections and Housekeeping

Hello, Friend:

Still with us? I hope so. We’ve been having some ridiculous technical issues that have us rethinking our podcasting host, but those seem to be straightened out for the time being and we’ll be back on track with a new episode tomorrow evening. I hope we’re still cool.

In the meantime, Sean offers up a little contrition for you. See, he’s good enough at this that he can correct me in real time, but he has to go back and fix HIMSELF later on. He writes:

This is your other co-host, Sean. I discovered a couple of errors I’d like to correct, as well as apologize for. Both of them are from our podcast on the first two Godfather movies.

The first is, when I talked about the films Gordon Willis shot in the 70’s, I mentioned All the President’s Men, but incorrectly said it won Best Picture, when it was only nominated for it (it lost to Rocky).

Secondly, when talking about how directors of the late 60’s/early 70’s sometimes quarreled with cinematographers of the studio system about how to light particular scenes, I mentioned Bonnie & Clyde, but misidentified the cinematographer; it was actually Burnett Guffey, not Robert Surtees (Surtees served as the cinematographer on the other major “new Hollywood” movie of that year, The Graduate, and unlike Guffey, was happy to comply with the director’s wish to try out new things, including using less light).

I apologize for both errors; I should have known better.

We were going to have Sean severely beaten, but he’s already taken to wearing a haircoat and self-flagellating, so there’s not much else we can throw on the pile.

See you tomorrow!